Keypads are widely used in various electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), multi-purpose cellular phones (3G phones) and Smartphones, to enter alphanumeric inputs and/or commands. In a typical keypad, the keys are usually arranged in a QWERTY configuration or a 12-key configuration, which is commonly found in cellular phones.
A concern with the QWERTY configuration is that the locations of the keys are not efficiently arranged. Thus, a user has to learn where the key are located in the QWERTY configuration in order to enter different words. Furthermore, since there are twenty-six different keys for the different letters, learning where the different letter keys are located can be challenging.
Similarly, a concern with the conventional 12-key configuration is that the keys are not arranged in an efficient manner for entering words. Although the keys for the different letters in the conventional 12-key configuration can be readily found, entering words using these letter keys can be difficult since three or four letters are entered using the same key. Furthermore, there is no correlation between the locations of the letter keys in the conventional 12-key configuration and words that are typically entered. Thus, entering words using such a keypad can be difficult.
Therefore, there is a need for a keypad that addresses the above-described concerns.